FDA hands L'Oreal a warning over anti-aging claims
September 26, 2012
If you walk the makeup aisle of any store that sells cosmetics, you'll likely see plenty of products, from creams to scrubs, touting anti-aging benefits. But a wise shopper will take caution - some of these companies use some pretty tricky wording to help sell their products. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) keeps an eye out for false claims, and recently it issued a warning to L'Oreal concerning phrases found on its website that made some questionable statements about several of its products.
The letter singles out a number of beauty items, including sun screens, eye creams, night creams, and more. The warning also outlines some of the phrases in question. One claim said the Genetique Eye Youth Activating Eye Concentrate "boosts the activity of genes and stimulates the production of youth proteins."
Two other products, the Absolute Precious Cells Advanced Regenerating and Reconstructing Cream SPF 15 Sunscreen, claimed that customers would "see significant deep wrinkle reductions in UV damaged skin, clinically proven."
The FDA warns that L'Oreal's products are not "generally recognized among qualified experts as safe and effective for the above referenced uses," and strongly urges the company to correct its website.
Bloomberg points out that L'Oreal isn't the first company to receive such a warning. Around the same time that the FDA warned the beauty company, it also wrote a letter to Greek Island Labs, which offered a product known as Athena 7 Minute Life. The company claimed this product was "a safe and effective alternative to Botox."
Fortunately, products like Botox and other injectable fillers have been given the stamp of approval by the FDA, which is part of the reason why they've become so popular over the past few years.
The mission of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) includes medical education, public education and patient advocacy. Plastic Surgery News Briefs are summaries of current stories found through various news and magazine outlets that relate to or mention plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures. The views expressed in these news articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ASAPS, but are merely published as an educational service to our members and the general public. For additional information on these subjects and other plastic surgery related topics, please go to www.surgery.org
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The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), is recognized as the world’s leading organization devoted entirely to aesthetic plastic surgery and cosmetic medicine of the face and body. ASAPS is comprised of over 2,600 Plastic Surgeons; active members are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (USA) or by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and have extensive training in the complete spectrum of surgical and non-surgical aesthetic procedures. International active members are certified by equivalent boards of their respective countries. All members worldwide adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and must meet stringent membership requirements.
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